Testing & Test Prep
St. Francis Xavier High School CEEB Code: 500-063
AP Exams are national standardized exams designed to measure how well students have mastered the content and skills of a specific AP course. Students enrolled in any of our 9 AP courses can earn college credits by taking an AP exam for that course in May. If a student earns a score of 3, 4, or 5, most colleges will recognize that the student proved mastery in understanding the material covered and will award credits. NOTE: each college has different parameters for how they award AP credits.
Students must register to take AP exams by mid-November of each year. If you have any questions about AP testing, see your AP teacher or Mrs. Schuh.
PreACT - Freshmen and Sophomores
All freshmen and sophomores will take the PreACT in the fall. This test is highly recommended because it gives students a chance to practice the ACT college entrance exam. Students who qualify for extended time testing or other accommodations will be notified by the counseling department. Results of the PreACT are shared with students at the end of Term 2 or beginning of Term 3, and then reviewed with students and parents during Sophomore Parent Conferences.
PSAT - Juniors, some Sophomores
Juniors will have the opportunity to take the PSAT. The PSAT is a good predictor of how students might do on the SAT college entrance exam. Additionally, the PSAT is the National Merit Scholarship qualifying test. It's also one more opportunity to practice standardized testing, and some students find that they do better on the PSAT than the PreACT. The SAT can be chosen over the ACT for college entrance exams.
Each year 10 to 15 Xavier sophomores choose to take the PSAT to practice for taking the exam junior year. These sophomores are typically very strong test takers with the potential to be National Merit Scholarship Finalists (which requires a score in the top 1% of test takers).
Registration for the the PSAT takes place in September, and emails are sent to students and their parents with information on how and when to register. The PSAT is offered on the Saturday national test date, and results are returned to students around the end of Term 2.
Understanding Your PSAT/NMSQT Score Report
Access your PSAT/NMSQT report online and learn how ready you are for college, explore which AP courses are a good match for you, and get insight into which skills to focus on in order to prepare for the SAT. This video from The College Board will help you understand your score report.
